


Desperado

by Katany



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-11-22
Updated: 2012-04-17
Packaged: 2017-10-26 10:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/282107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katany/pseuds/Katany
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After twenty years of planning his revenge, Darth Vader was not going to be tricked into granting Obi-Wan a warrior's death. A New Hope - AU.</p><p>"Vader had often envisioned the moment Obi-Wan would lie at his feet, the same mechanical feet the older man had gifted Vader."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lessons Learnt

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, but the way I wrote them is. See what a law class can do for you?

The learner was now truly the master; Darth Vader's proof was kneeling on the floor of the Death Star.

Obi-Wan's defeat was not in his position or the duel he had lost. From the beginning neither opponent had intended for the older man to survive, which was why Vader's true victory was in capturing the Jedi Master alive. Indeed, Obi-Wan had failed the moment he believed he could triumph by martyring himself for some pathetic cause. Fitting that the teacher had been beaten due to one of his own lessons.

"A skillful general considers the entire war before engaging in a single battle, for otherwise his enemy's sacrifice may lead to the general's defeat." Beneath the distain of his own voice, Vader could still hear a mental echo of the much repeated lecture in a softer, urbane accent. He had proven himself an adroit strategist during Clone Wars, something his former master should've considered. "You were the intended sacrifice, the diversion, to rescue Princess Leia. You assumed my judgment would be clouded by the Dark Side and I would slay you without forethought. A costly error, for I permitted the princess' escape and now I have you. Your sacrifice gained nothing.

"You have also forgotten the other side of your own lesson: a sacrifice requires a general to surrender an advantage to gain victory. You were a poor choice in sacrifices as your life is irrelevant and losing it will not gain victory for your rebels."

Obi-Wan had not moved since regaining consciousness. Despite his situation, he was the picture of Jedi calm as if focused inward in meditation. But Vader could easily see past such appearances and thus break them. Obi-Wan would acknowledge him.

"A skillful general also knows his enemies and I know you, Obi-Wan. You are a pathetic, old fool to come here looking for victory through death. As I once told you, there is only one way to obtain victory: power. Gaining victory in any other manner is tantamount to defeat."

Vader had often envisioned the moment Obi-Wan would lie at his feet, the same mechanical feet the older man had gifted Vader. For two decades, each movement of his limbs and each hiss of his respirator fueled his hatred. He had always known he would find his former master and destroy the last of his previous life. Too long had his position as a Sith been challenged by those thinking him weak and tainted for his Jedi training. Vader had slaughtered them all for their treachery, just as he would Obi-Wan. But the older man's death would come on his terms, not as part of another's scheme. After severing the last real connection to Skywalker, he could concentrate on replacing Sidious, on gaining the absolute control he deserved.

"Power is why the Empire reigns when your Jedi Order and Republic could not. It is why my empire will continue to rule."

Even bound on his knees and unable to touch the force, the older man found a way to defy him. Despite the familiar presence he had first felt in the hanger, the white-haired man was not Obi-Wan Kenobi -- Jedi Master, Council Member, and High General in the Clone Wars. Time had defeated the Jedi in a way Vader could not and Obi-Wan was no longer the man he faced on Mustafar. That was the man he had every right to destroy, not some withered, broken husk already bested by age. Though he felt some satisfaction at the man's ruin, it was a fleeting pleasure compared to his desires. Only Obi-Wan Kenobi could deny Vader his vengeance by deteriorating, while that very act of denial made him fundamentally the same.

Such was how his former master's mere presence could frustrate him. Typically, the source of his aggravations were dealt with swiftly and decisively. But the Jedi was festering under his skin, taunting him by wanting the same thing Vader craved. His desire to kill Obi-Wan conflicted with his need to deny the Jedi anything the man sought.

Though he long planned his revenge, Vader hadn't anticipated Obi-Wan's presence on the Death Star. There had been no indication General Kenobi was part of the rebellion. The rebel leadership clearly lacked the experience and strategies Obi-Wan had made famous. They were desperate if they were recruiting such damaged soldiers and that desperation would bring their fall.

Yet, even as he dismissed Obi-Wan, he knew that the older man would not have reappeared without a reason. Something had changed beyond a mere rebel in need of rescue. The change had everything to do with the Force, but it was silent on the issue.

For years the Sith had not allowed himself to feel anything but the assuring strength of his hatred. He no longer thought himself capable of other emotions. But standing in the presence of his peaceful, former master -- whose secrets the Force protected in defiance of its Chosen One -- Vader felt a flicker of doubt. 

Long ago he had rid himself of emotional liabilities; he had needed to the first time acolytes of Dark Side endeavored to gift Darth Sidious with a more worthy apprentice. To kill his would be replacement Vader had secured himself in his hatred and his command of the Dark Side had grown. He had not been vulnerable any attempt afterwards.

Only Obi-Wan had managed to create a weakness. Vader had no defenses against his own doubt. Unused to conflicting emotions, his connection to his hatred lessened and he could feel his control slipping.

The Dark Side called to him as it coursed down to his mechanical fingertips. It wanted to be released against the servant of the Light Side, to wrap around Obi-Wan's throat and slowly lift and squeeze. Then his former master would have to acknowledge him as, even seeking death, the older man's body would struggle to breathe. Death was always the same: hands scratching uselessly at the throat, feet searching for purchase, lips gasping for breath, and eyes rolling to the back of the head. The Dark Side would take great pleasure in drawing out the Jedi's death, in the destruction of each cell as it was denied oxygen, in annihilating any victory in his former master's mind.

The Sith used their intense emotions to bend the Force to their bidding. The Force would only submit to those with the power to control it, but remained rebellious, untamed, eager to turn on its wielder. The Dark Side craved Obi-Wan's death, and in the uncertainty of his hatred, Vader was afraid he would submit. Fear was the weakest link to the Dark Side; the power one could wield over the Force with fear was limited and nothing compared to the strength Vader's hatred typically exerted. Without his hatred, the Dark Side would rule him. He'd be nothing but a slave trapped within his own body and even that spike of fear could not contain will of the Dark Side.

It was fitting that Obi-Wan would die immediately by his hand. The Jedi deserved nothing better for his treachery. There was no reason to spare him. The Dark Side surged again, eager to seek out its prey, certain Vader would succumb to its will.

"I thought I also taught you that, in time, every victory will be defeated. Nothing of this world is eternal; all things must pass into history." Obi-Wan spoke in that same calm, unhurried, and slightly disappointed lecturing tone Vader had heard in his head only minutes earlier.

Vader's anger spiked, drowning out his fears and doubt, and the Dark Side begrudgingly accepted his tentative authority. "You taught me nothing."

"I suppose from a certain point of view, Darth, that is true. For I see nothing of the man I trained in the man before me. But that is a rationalization I do not allow for myself. You were once my student and you murdered a good man when you fell."

Despite how often as he had insisted all traces of Anakin Skywalker were dead, hearing how Obi-Wan disassociated the Jedi from the Sith -- but still claimed Vader as his student -- was disconcerting. "Are those the delusions you tell yourself? You lost everything to the Dark Side: your master, your padawan, your peace, your precious order and Code, and now your sanity. The only thing left for you to lose is your worthless life."

"I have not, and I will not, lose my hope." Obi-Wan sounded so certain of his words that Vader could finally see the Jedi Master underneath the masquerade of age. While he was pleased at the prospect of having an opponent worthy of destroying, he also realized there was a possibility he had been underestimating Obi-Wan.

"You sound confident, a far cry from your desperate pleas on Mustafar."

Obi-Wan acknowledged the statement with a simple tilt of his head.

"Why do you hope?" Vader had planned a proper interrogation: Yoda's location; their connection to the rebellion; how they had remained hidden from the eyes of the Empire; their plans to rebuild their wretched order; and why Obi-Wan had chosen to return. But none of those questions seemed as important. "Life has not treated you well, Obi-Wan, I can read that in the lines on your face. Everything you once knew and loved is gone. And you should not put your hope in that pathetic rebellion, for any planet that harbors a single rebel shall soon be annihilated. I know you have seen Alderaan. The other planets will fall in line or meet the same fate. In what could you possibly have hope?"

Obi-Wan spoke as if the answer was obvious. "My hope has been restored through Anakin Skywalker."

There was no other answer less likely in Vader's mind. "You truly have gone mad. You claim I murdered 'a good man', but it was you that burned the last of the Jedi from this body when you left him to die on Mustafar. There is nothing left of Anakin Skywalker."

The corner of Obi-Wan's lip twitched so slightly it was barely perceivable. But Vader knew his former master was amused, almost laughing at him for some secret joke at his expense.

"Do not mock me, old man." Vader pushed all his anger and authority into his voice to cover his defensive reaction.

"I do not. Though you are shrouded in darkness, you can sense the truth."

Vader could only sense the truth of a madman. "You believe your words, but that does not change the fact Skywalker is beyond redemption. I thought you learned that lesson in the Temple."

Obi-Wan paused, just long enough Vader knew his remark struck a wound. The older man spoke slowly, regretfully. "I do not always learn my lessons correctly."

"The great Obi-Wan Kenobi, paragon of the Jedi, has admitted to a flaw." He was the future emperor and Master of the Dark Side, but he sounded to his own ears a teenage brat.

"I never said I was perfect."

Vader wasn't going to let the older man excuse himself. "No, you only worked tirelessly to appear that way."

Obi-Wan shifted his weight back on his heels, rolled his shoulders, and seemed to relax as far as his bounds would allow. The Jedi's eyes locked with the Sith's eyes behind the mask. "In the months before my thirteenth birthday, one woman's name was on the lips of every citizen of Corusant: Pysth. Despite that, few likely remember her name let alone her story. She was a young mother of twenty, with a son of three and a newborn daughter. One morning, she took both her children to the top of her apartment building; the boy was pushed first and his sister was dropped after him. Pysth did not move until the authorities arrived. She offered neither an explanation nor defense for her actions and remained passive throughout the aftermath."

There were great evils in the world, Vader knew this as he was one of them. He had slain children, destroyed families, and obliterated a planet. He would do it all again without hesitation, yet he instinctively judged the vile woman. It was best not to look closely as to why.

"At the time, I only knew the basic concept of a blood family. Mothers were supposed to be protectors and teachers to their children. For myself, searching desperately for those things in my own life, seeing a mother's betrayal was difficult to accept. If someone could so carelessly throw away the life of her own children, born of her own body, then what hope did I have in finding a master whom would not do the same thing? It was a fear born of youth and insecurity, looming change, and perceived failures. As Pysth's trial grew closer, the frenzy feeding my fear grew."

Obi-Wan was an artful wordsmith and, as such, should never be allowed to craft such a tale. It was the perfect time to stop him, to call Pysth a prophet or an omen for a future which had merely been delayed for twelve years. To emphasize that Obi-Wan had been metaphorically tossed over the side of a building for the one whom would bring rise to Vader -- everything Obi-Wan had to know standing there.

But the opportunity passed and he said nothing. His former master was freely offering information, a personal failing in fact. He could not help but listen, no matter the older man's intentions.

"At the time, it seemed everyone had an opinion of the case. Most were concerned that the punishment would be too lenient if legally the mother was not mentally capable of standing trial. Those citizens held vigils and rallies against her, though if they were the majority or merely the loudest, I'm not certain. But amid the chaos, one voice began to stand out, the woman's sister: Ismiki. She spoke for her sister in front of the entire world. 'We will never truly know what happened that day. But my sister needs the support of her family now, and I will stand with her.'

"I still remember the knot in my stomach and the heat in my veins from her words. It was the first time I hated someone whom I had not met, whom had not wronged me personally or intentionally. But she chose to stand beside the woman whom had shown me how easily I could be discarded. She was connected to her sister by the same blood bond that Pysth had broken with two innocent children. How could she value loyalty to a murderer over the lives of her niece and nephew? How could she remain by someone whom had killed her own family? How could she announce it to the universe? She loved her sister despite the awful thing Pysth had done and I could not understand why."

Vader couldn't recall if Obi-Wan had ever admitted to hating someone during all their years together. Many of Anakin's memories were hazy, but, in that moment, it seemed important to remember.

"In time, I released my hatred into the Force, but drew comfort from knowing I was different than her. I would always seek justice, even if I had to stand against those closest to me. Though I learned other lessons of justice and family throughout the years, I always remembered the lesson from Ismiki."

As if awakened by some warning to Obi-Wan's next words, Vader became aware of his own treacherous thoughts. He wanted to slam Obi-Wan into the cell wall, to strike the Jedi down with his red blade, to do anything to regain control. But he remained entranced by the older man's story. Even unable to touch the Force, Obi-Wan surely had planted a Force suggestion using only his eyes.

"But in my hatred I had just never seen her. Ismiki never condoned Pysth's actions nor did she deny that her sister deserved punishment. She did not fight against the law, but supported Pysth through the proceedings regardless of public opinion. Perhaps Ismiki's love made it even more important that her sister face justice. Her love did not excuse her sister's actions or herself for not seeing, but it could never be abandoned or turned into hate.

"The real lesson from Ismiki was that it was possible to still love someone whom had fallen and wish to see justice done; unconditional love did not have to be blind. The day I realized I was wrong about Ismiki was the day I realized we were alike."

Obi-Wan dropped his gaze. The enchantment ended and Vader could feel his anger again. It smothered any other feelings brought forth from Obi-Wan's story, safely protecting him from the Jedi's scheming objective. Yet he was still unbalanced. He needed time to seethe, to return his anger into hatred. He was tempted to use the Jedi as a focus for his rage, but Vader would surely lash out in violence. In his state, the first time he hit Obi-Wan would escalate to the older man's death. Their interview was over, but he had one task left.

Using the Force, Vader dragged the Jedi by his chains from his detention cell to an empty one further down the hall. He unceremoniously threw Obi-Wan inside, watching as the older man struck the floor. "Know this, none of your Jedi tricks will save you. I will not provide weak minds for you to bend, nor will I allow you time to use what little Force you can still touch to weaken this structure."

"I'd hate to ruin your schedule and exhaust all your prison cells so quickly. But if you'd like I can review each mind I meet and each cell I visit; it can only improve your accommodations." Apparently, Obi-Wan still had his proclivity for poor humor in dangerous situations. Vader saw another piece of his former master in the old man.

"If you still have hope, then you still have something left to lose. You will die before I run out of cells and you will rediscover pain, fear, and defeat before I let you die. I promise you, Master, you will relearn those lessons."

Leaving Obi-Wan where he had thrown him, Vader spun on his heel and took even, measured steps down the corridor so his former master could hear he was not running away.

**.:SW:.**

2011/11/22

edited: 2012/03/31


	2. Successes Lamented

Instead of safely sending the driods, Vader had returned alone to transfer Obi-Wan to a second cell. It was the kind of impulsive decision that characterized his previous life; the kind that would undermine the chain of command and destroy a carefully laid plan -- even his own. The Empire did not tolerate such impetuous behavior, let alone Sidious. The Sith Lord had regained power through patience, only altering his plans to exploit new opportunities as they developed. Had Vader remained true to his master's doctrine, he would not have fallen into his former master's trap. Mute and froze, Vader was ensnared by Obi-Wan's story again.

" 'Trust in your instincts,' Qui-Gon said, 'and they will never fail you.' Never mind that later in the same mission I was admonished about the perils of acting without thinking. This was early on in my apprenticeship, long before I learned what my master saw as the difference between trusting instincts and simply reacting to a situation.

"The difference, as I later ascertained, was that if Qui-Gon got us into trouble, it was him following his instincts; if I got us into trouble, it was me reacting without thinking. In this case, it was instincts that put us in unnecessary danger."

It was all Obi-Wan's fault - the trap, the trigger, the Jedi's mere presence - all of it was Obi-Wan's doing. Years of searching for the man and Vader had never found anything but false rumors and Sidious' ire for his pursuit One year into his apprenticeship, Sidious had summoned Vader to Imperial City. All Vader had to report of his former master was another failed mission. Sidious stood overlooking his city, hands clasped behind him with his back to Vader. "The Sith do not waste Empire resources on personal grudges." Vader knew that mandate included himself as one of those resources. For all of Palpatine's talk of how the Jedi rules had been holding him back, the Sith rules were no more liberating.

Officially, Vader had not searched for Obi-Wan more than any other enemy of the Empire. His unofficial hunts proved no more effective and Vader was never able to bring in the older man. The only reason Obi-Wan was in a cell on the Death Star was that the Jedi had brought himself to Vader. 

True, Obi-Wan was alive because Vader had retracted his blade instead of slaying the older man. But if that young brat had shown up slower-- if Vader had lacked the extra second to follow Obi-Wan's glance to the blond man and to understand the look in those aged eyes -- he would've completed the sai tok. He would've given Obi-Wan everything the Jedi wanted and it was only luck that he hadn't. Though he would forever deny any such folly, Vader couldn't let it stand.

"To his credit, he was prepared when she turned on him not a day later. For one so young she timed the attack carefully, waiting for a chance when he seemed distracted by me. Qui-Gon was much quicker. Though he only defended himself, she later died due to the stress she placed on her injuries.

"I blamed Qui-Gon, not for her death, but for needlessly endangering our mission. I was taught to act for the greater good: the needs of many outweighed the needs of one. At the time, I still hadn't recovered from the disastrous mission when I let one influence my view of the greater good. I was unwilling to trust my own compromised judgment, but was instead more comfortable following the judgment of the council by adhering to the letter of their mission parameters. To have Qui-Gon endanger all that for the sake of a cub was upsetting."

No one had ever appreciated his impulsive decisions. The reprimands which followed focused on the lives or objectives he had risked by breaking rules and procedure, not the lives spared. They never praised his brilliant ability to learn something important from his gambles, even though what he discovered always turned the tide of the battle. They never acknowledged that he could pull himself and his chosen few through any situation by the sheer force of his own will.

"From my master's point of view, it was an opportunity to teach: first in following his instincts to save her, then in the value of understanding the instincts in others. From my point of view, it was an unnecessary risk with no benefits. Had we not interfered, the cub would've died from a natural predator. If the cub had been plagued with disease or trapped by poachers, I could've more easily accepted the decision to save her. But all I had was my Master's words that it was, 'the will of the Force.'

"In my master's mind, the complete lack of a reason to save the cub made it the perfect lesson. Qui-Gon believed the path of the Jedi is difficult because we must trust in the Force -- something other than ourselves and our known abilities. We place ourselves and our will aside for that of another, though we may not be granted an understanding of why our service is required. According to him, that is why we have to live in the moment, because we might never see the purpose of what we are called to do. But as Jedi, we gain comfort in knowing that our hands are serving the Force, with greater power and comprehension than we could ever possess. "

Obi-Wan's trick could be resisted.

The Jedi had been explaining the cub's species, how it was endangered and no attempts to relocate them or breed them in captivity were successful, when Vader first realized a simple truth. The species was quite extinct; its home planet of Alderaan was gone. Qui-Gon could've saved all the cubs on the planet on that mission and some four decades later it didn't make the slightest bit of difference. Except that Qui-Gon had risked his padawan's life for something his chosen one would later destroy.

The more Vader focused on that delightful irony, the less of the story he remembered. Obi-Wan's age, the mission parameters, the name of the species, and all those other small details had faded. While Obi-Wan still held him captive, most of the words washed over him.

"At the time, that was not enough; I was relatively new to the methods of my master and confused by his actions. 'Master,' I said, 'how can one truly be in the moment? For where we are in the present is merely the result of our previous decisions, and what we do now will affect our future decisions. Even how we act in the present is dictated by the lessons we have learned in the past. Your decision to live in the moment and to be mindful of the Living Force is based on your experiences which reaffirm your point of view. The only way to live in the moment is to cut ourselves off from our higher brain functions, like that animal for which we risked our lives.'

"Qui-Gon looked horrified at my words. 'Padawan,' he said, 'we-' "

Vader startled awake at the sound of metal hitting flesh and a sensor-induced tingling in his left hand. He had not thought he had learned enough to overcome Obi-Wan's trick, only resist it. But he absolutely would not tolerate anyone in his presence spouting whatever Jedi filth Qui-Gon had used to brainwash his padawan. A man that would fall to a beast like Maul didn't deserve any sort of respect which Obi-Wan was bound to give him. Absently shaking his left hand as if it was real, Vader looked over to where Obi-Wan had been thrown.

Rolling back onto his knees, Obi-Wan rested his forehead on floor a minute before sitting up and spitting out a wad of blood. He made a show of checking all his teeth with his tongue.

"Though I fear so many years of such uncivilized living has left me bereft of routine healer visits, your dental plan leaves something to be desired."

Vader knew his former master, when disadvantaged, used his sharp tongue and serene facade to compensate. If he let himself become frustrated with the pretense enough for another assault, Vader would only grant Obi-Wan power. Physical attacks had never destroyed the Jedi mask, not near as well as mental ones. And Vader knew more weak points than any other captor.

But the Dark Side was always with him and it rippled in ecstasy at the brutality. He could feel its anticipation pooling in his gut. The Dark Side sent currents of energy to his limbs as they were still made of muscles. It speed his heart and lungs as if they were unregulated by machines. It sent heat throughout his body as if was still wrapped in undamaged flesh and able to touch the cool air. For a moment he felt whole again -- young, strong, warm, and healthy.

The moment passed and Vader was left again in his cold, mechanical body. The Dark Side promised more sensations of life, that Vader would be the first to violently break his former master. The pleasure from such a feat would last far longer.

Obi-Wan frowned, then spit again. The motion altered but didn't halt the small line of blood which trickled from the right side of his lip. "I'm quite fine now, thank you. However, I'm certain Sidious needs your dental care far more than I do at the moment."

"Was that what you were searching for?" The Dark Side bowed slightly in the wake of his own fury. Vader could feel the edge of his control slipping, more from his own actions than from Obi-Wan's comments. "I see my facilities are lacking compared to your previous prison and hostage experiences. Shall I find an old torture mask? Feed you maggots? Resort to whips and chains? Or shall I inflict such pain on those around you for your transgressions?"

Each memory brought back an old, forgotten anger. Anger at the Dark Acolytes for their crude torture methods. Anger at Obi-Wan for how careless he could be with his own life. Anger that his former master wasn't angry with his tormentors. Anger that Obi-Wan could forgive them. Anger that Obi-Wan could maintain his Jedi mask in the face of those memories.

"If that's the treatment you're looking for, you won't find it here. I won't grant you that satisfaction."

Vader was pacing with his words as they moved through him, the only filter on his thoughts the suit's electronic voice processor.

"I'm afraid if I torture you too much you'll start to believe in my redemption. That's how it works, isn't it? The more inhumane the torturer, the more you believe in their redemption. Why else would Ventress be a scared little girl while I was a demon for you to banish. Shall I detail her sins for you?"

His speech was more honest than he intended, but justified by Obi-Wan's slight flinch, slumped shoulders, and dropped eyes.

"Yet I forget it's not only just those that torture you. You have an unending faith in those that turn How many Dark Jedi did you try to save on our missions? How many have you tried to save since? When they found you throughout all these years, how many did you fight with your words and principles before your lightsaber?"

Vader could actually see Obi-Wan's mental tally written in the furrow of the old man's brow. He was winning.

"But here there were no such pleas or expectations. Here in your battle stance there was the acceptance of a man facing his enemy to the death. Your compassion extends to all except the one you should be trying hardest to save."

What should've been a devastating blow merely slid the Jedi mask back into place. Only one misstep and Vader had lost his lead, uncertain where he had gone wrong. Obi-Wan cleared this throat. "You said yourself that my plan was to be a distraction, a sacrifice. But now I faced you with the intent to kill? Did I want to slay you, or for you to slay me?"

The challenge was far too easy for the confidence in his former master's eyes. "The two do not have to be mutually exclusive."

"True enough. Though I thought the one thing we both agreed upon was that Anakin Skywalker was dead. How could I redeem him with words to you, Darth?"

Obi-Wan Kenobi thought that Darth Vader was beyond redemption. It should reassure him, both in his position as a Sith and the pain it would cause the older man. He waited for smug satisfaction to fill his circuits and sooth his charred nerves. Instead there was an emptiness in his chest that hadn't been present even when waking up alone, trapped in his mechanical prison. It had to be the result of his inability predict the Jedi. If Obi-Wan didn't believe Skywalker could be redeemed, Vader couldn't guess the source of Obi-Wan's hope. And though he had many weapons against his former master, he was missing the principal one.

"You couldn't. I wanted you to try so you could fail, again."

"I told you before, I've failed many times." Lowering his head, Obi-Wan paused and grimaced as he wet his cracked lips. "And I've had many years to consider all my failures. If I could fix only one of them, I'd teach my padawan how to fail."

The Dark Acolytes who had seen Vader as weak for his Jedi heritage never understood: it took strength to thrive when being taught such twisted ideals. "So you could've held him back even more."

"No, so he could've learned that failure isn't everything. Anakin was too good." Vader's rage twisted the Dark Side around him. Obi-Wan had to sense the disruption but he calmly continued. "He succeeded when no one else could have, when no one else even considered the possibility. And I am forever humbled by the number of lives he saved. But such unprecedented success never showed him his limits, that he was human. Thus he was ill prepared for his own failures."

Vader followed Obi-Wan's eyes to his right glove. That was Anakin's debility, not Vader's. It was a piece of a Jedi Knight that was no longer there, but forever bound to the Sith. The Dark Side conceded to Vader's hatred.

With a twist of that hand, Obi-Wan was sent flying back into the wall. The Jedi dropped motionless to the ground. Vader watched for movement, waiting to feel the sting in his hand and his pulse in his ears. Nothing moved and nothing changed.

Entirely forgetting the reason for his visit, Vader slammed his right fist into the door panel as he exited. He openly stomped down the hall as there was no one to listen to his footsteps.

.:SW:.

2012/04/16


End file.
